So, I had a little epiphany tonight about textbooks. As I sat reading page 358 of my international business text, it occurred to me that this was the first class in which the syllabus called for the entirety of the text to be read. Now, if I were a freshman or sophomore in high school that would not be an issue. But I am finishing up a masters degree. Which means I have more or less 18 years of education. I say more or less because that doesn't include preschool or extra years of college or the fact that technically I dropped out of high school and got a GED. But I digress...
The point is, I have had about 18 years of education and have yet to use a textbook to it's entirety. So W-T-F am I paying these ridiculous amounts of money for? Let's discard the elementary to high school years, as the State bears that brunt (another issue entirely) and focus on post-secondary education. The particular book I am reading is a new edition which retails for $162, but I bought an international version for $70 (which is identical except softcover). Other books I've purchased have ranged from $60 used to $195 used. This means that at a minimum I have spent $120 per term (2 classes) for 8 terms (quarters) of grad school ($960) and $240 per term (4 classes) for 8 terms (semesters) of undergrad ($1920), or a whopping $2880 on text books*.
Of those 48 textbooks I purchased, I have read (been assigned) approximately 50% of the content, which means that about $1440 has gone to absolutely nothing. It's killed a few trees and it's paid a few scholars, but there has been no benefit to me whatsoever. $1440 is more than a months mortgage for me - this is not cool. Personal hurt aside, wouldn't it make sense for these textbooks to be broken up into manageable chunks that can actually be utilized? Instead of purchasing 3 separate $60 texts on marketing with 24 chapters each, couldn't I buy 3 separate volumes of the same book for $20 each?
The whole point of this rant is to say this: Houghton-Mifflin, MacGraw-Hill, Thompson-Rueters, et al : I am on to you. And someday I am going to start a business (based on your teachings) that will change the textbook industry and take you down. So be on your toes. In the meantime, back to page 359.
*Assuming I paid for a used or international text. Had I paid retail and we can assume double the price at $8,640 total
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Friday, July 16, 2010
Monday, July 27, 2009
Surveys
Hello All-
I'm doing a survey on internet & eCard use for class. If you can spare 5 minutes please fill this out and pass the link on to your friends!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=KdLokcGWwrigwL6A_2bf09mA_3d_3d
Sincerely,
Kate
P.S.
If you can, please help my friend Stefanie out too and share your wine drinking habits!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Fo1IxsgEaQm_2bCUlyW7Qr_2fQ_3d_3d
I'm doing a survey on internet & eCard use for class. If you can spare 5 minutes please fill this out and pass the link on to your friends!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=KdLokcGWwrigwL6A_2bf09mA_3d_3d
Sincerely,
Kate
P.S.
If you can, please help my friend Stefanie out too and share your wine drinking habits!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Fo1IxsgEaQm_2bCUlyW7Qr_2fQ_3d_3d
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Stupid Grad School
I've been meaning to post for awhile. Like, months. But stupid school and work and life keep getting in the way. When I started Seoul Cliche it was a means to an end: communicating with my family and friends and telling the stories of my little Korean adventures. What I didn't expect was that blogging would be a great outlet for me. I have a tendency to let a lot of crap rattle around in my head and putting it on paper (read: the Internet) was a great release and allowed me to clear my head.
I haven't posted in months because, well, I've got too much rattling around in my brain to come up with a cohesive thought. Right now I'm in week five of Business Law and Business Statistics, both topics that are turning my brain into mush. Law has turned out to be a bit more interesting than expected, but statistics has got me swimming. I like the idea of statistics, and of how they are gathered. I like analyzing the results and I like drawing conclusions. But getting there? That's dang near impossible. It's like reading Greek. Actually, it is reading Greek, as most of the formulas are written in Greek. For example, this:
is the formula for the mean of a sample. Really, all it says is that the mean (μ) is the sum of results divided by the number of results. It's an average. Why the hell can't they just say that??? Why do I need a Sigma and a Mu and a bunch of other meaningless characters to determine an average?
Anyway, that is where my brain is at. Other than that, things are going pretty well. I've got some fun projects at work - I'm overseeing the rebuild of our website and the remodeling of our demo room, helping with the planning and marketing of a technology summit, doing some graphic design and learning a lot more about copiers than I ever wanted to know. I managed to waddle to the finish line at the Shamrock Run, made my first attempt at snowboarding, paid off the trip to China (departing 6 weeks from today!) and am working on my sideline business with X.
Rob's been helping me with the yard and we've made some really good progress, I'll add some photos on the ol' Facebook. We've got a long way to go still, especially considering we both have geriatric backs. Hopefully in the next month or so we'll be ready for BBQ season. Yippee!!
I haven't posted in months because, well, I've got too much rattling around in my brain to come up with a cohesive thought. Right now I'm in week five of Business Law and Business Statistics, both topics that are turning my brain into mush. Law has turned out to be a bit more interesting than expected, but statistics has got me swimming. I like the idea of statistics, and of how they are gathered. I like analyzing the results and I like drawing conclusions. But getting there? That's dang near impossible. It's like reading Greek. Actually, it is reading Greek, as most of the formulas are written in Greek. For example, this:
is the formula for the mean of a sample. Really, all it says is that the mean (μ) is the sum of results divided by the number of results. It's an average. Why the hell can't they just say that??? Why do I need a Sigma and a Mu and a bunch of other meaningless characters to determine an average?Anyway, that is where my brain is at. Other than that, things are going pretty well. I've got some fun projects at work - I'm overseeing the rebuild of our website and the remodeling of our demo room, helping with the planning and marketing of a technology summit, doing some graphic design and learning a lot more about copiers than I ever wanted to know. I managed to waddle to the finish line at the Shamrock Run, made my first attempt at snowboarding, paid off the trip to China (departing 6 weeks from today!) and am working on my sideline business with X.
Rob's been helping me with the yard and we've made some really good progress, I'll add some photos on the ol' Facebook. We've got a long way to go still, especially considering we both have geriatric backs. Hopefully in the next month or so we'll be ready for BBQ season. Yippee!!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Year in Blog
2008 has probably been the most interesting and favorite of the last few years. In January I was honored to be one of the lucky few attendees at Sara Lou & Stew's fabulous Timberline wedding. I'm not sure I had ever had so much fun at a wedding before, and I'm not sure I've ever been so cold in a hot tub! Soon after, in February, I was asked to take a big trip for work and started the long preparation & freak out process. I started blogging, and so did Sabine. Sadly, Sabinedog's blog seems to have been removed from the internet - too bad, because her posts were hella funny!
On March 7th, I departed for my two month adventure in Seoul. Flying to Korea in 1st class was the last easy thing about the trip, but I had a lot of fun and learned many things about the country, the culture, my job and myself. Highlights for March include staying at The Dormy, seeing Jason Mraz, learning about the layoffs at home and drinking Soju with friends.By April I had started to get a little homesick but was still trying to make the best of the trip. I got to see the entire city from Namsan Tower, along with the amazing cherry blossoms. I went shopping in Insadong and had the best night of my trip at Lotte World!
When I landed in California the first thing I did was send a text message to all my friends that said "I love this Country!" Being home had never felt better and I spent most of May enjoying the company of my friends and my dog. I bought my lovely little mac and started making plans to leave my employer.
BeansandNuts was born in July, I hired little Russian men to work on my kitchen, signed up for a great diet program and I attended my second wedding for the year. X and I took a little camping trip to Ft. Stevens State Park with the dogs in August. When I returned, I gave my notice at work and willingly became unemployed for the first time in five years.
The MBA program at Marylhurst seemed like a great fit, so I started classes in September and began making friends. I was down 30 lbs on my diet and I turned 30 years old! Jayna and Eric came to visit for the Miss White Trash Pageant, I attended a pub crawl, and I met the man. I think September might have been my favorite month. After just one (amazing!) month of freedom, I accepted a job in October. I went to see Matt Nathanson with a hot date and attended two more weddings - a small courthouse ceremony and a charming beach wedding that ended at the Sportsman Pub and Grub.
Obama won the election by a surprising (to me) landslide in November and I had an absolute blast with my date for Denim & Diamonds. For Thanksgiving, I traveled to Tucson for my fifth (& Final!) wedding of 2008 and reconnected with some amazing friends that I missed more than I ever realized. December brought the tragic loss of my Sabine but also a great, joy filled White Christmas and the birth of a close friends baby boy. I spent about 7 days strait lying on my butt and playing on the internet because I could not leave the house - the snow was beautiful but I'm glad to be mobile again.
As amazing as 2008 was, I think 2009 is going to be even better. I don't think there will be five weddings this year, but you never know.. in the meantime, I'm looking forward to continuing school, learning to snowboard, spending more time with my friends and my guy, meeting the new babies that have arrived or will be arriving soon, attending the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival and going to China. I hope each of you had a great 08 and have an even better 09!!
XOXO
On March 7th, I departed for my two month adventure in Seoul. Flying to Korea in 1st class was the last easy thing about the trip, but I had a lot of fun and learned many things about the country, the culture, my job and myself. Highlights for March include staying at The Dormy, seeing Jason Mraz, learning about the layoffs at home and drinking Soju with friends.By April I had started to get a little homesick but was still trying to make the best of the trip. I got to see the entire city from Namsan Tower, along with the amazing cherry blossoms. I went shopping in Insadong and had the best night of my trip at Lotte World!
When I landed in California the first thing I did was send a text message to all my friends that said "I love this Country!" Being home had never felt better and I spent most of May enjoying the company of my friends and my dog. I bought my lovely little mac and started making plans to leave my employer.
BeansandNuts was born in July, I hired little Russian men to work on my kitchen, signed up for a great diet program and I attended my second wedding for the year. X and I took a little camping trip to Ft. Stevens State Park with the dogs in August. When I returned, I gave my notice at work and willingly became unemployed for the first time in five years.
The MBA program at Marylhurst seemed like a great fit, so I started classes in September and began making friends. I was down 30 lbs on my diet and I turned 30 years old! Jayna and Eric came to visit for the Miss White Trash Pageant, I attended a pub crawl, and I met the man. I think September might have been my favorite month. After just one (amazing!) month of freedom, I accepted a job in October. I went to see Matt Nathanson with a hot date and attended two more weddings - a small courthouse ceremony and a charming beach wedding that ended at the Sportsman Pub and Grub.
Obama won the election by a surprising (to me) landslide in November and I had an absolute blast with my date for Denim & Diamonds. For Thanksgiving, I traveled to Tucson for my fifth (& Final!) wedding of 2008 and reconnected with some amazing friends that I missed more than I ever realized. December brought the tragic loss of my Sabine but also a great, joy filled White Christmas and the birth of a close friends baby boy. I spent about 7 days strait lying on my butt and playing on the internet because I could not leave the house - the snow was beautiful but I'm glad to be mobile again.
As amazing as 2008 was, I think 2009 is going to be even better. I don't think there will be five weddings this year, but you never know.. in the meantime, I'm looking forward to continuing school, learning to snowboard, spending more time with my friends and my guy, meeting the new babies that have arrived or will be arriving soon, attending the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival and going to China. I hope each of you had a great 08 and have an even better 09!!
XOXO
Thursday, December 11, 2008
More of the same
Time keeps going by so quickly -I can't believe 2008 is nearly over! A quick run-down of what I've been up to over the last few weeks:
• I've settled into my job and started making friends at work. It's not the ideal personality fit for me and sometime I want to shake my boss like an infant, but it doesn't make my cry. Usually.
• I had a wonderful trip home to Tucson and reconnected with some great friends. It's incredible when you get together with someone after 8 years and it's as if you were never apart. Tucson is also an incredibly small town disguised by a decent sized population. Everyone is connected somehow and I had a lot of small world moments... some of them more surreal than others.
• I made it through the first term of school. I still have a few non-grey hairs and I've lucked into a few great friends. In fact, I actually enjoyed it so much that I've toyed with the possibility of taking three classes next term. But that's really just insane.
• I had a little health scare - found a lump in my breast which resulted in my first mammogram and an ultrasound. I'm fine, nothing to worry about, but having your boob squished between two sheets of plexiglass certainly isn't what I'd call fun. Ladies ( and lady's men!) - be sure to Feel Your Boobies. It's important.
• I seem to have moved from casual dating to having a boyfriend, which is new for me and totally cool. Sadly, my past relationships have left me with a constant self-doubt that I'll do something to mess it up or that he'll turn out to be a louse. But I'm working on that and learning that nice guys really do exist.
• I went to Best Buy with the intention of picking up some gifts and instead bought a flat panel TV. Yeah, good use of money for a grad student with a crappy paying job, huh? But it really does make the living room seem about 45 times bigger, and I got a good deal. Really, I did! (P.S. Please don't stop sending money Daddy, I promise it's not all going to electronics - that's what credit is for!)
• I got nearly all my Christmas shopping done with nearly 2 weeks to spare - some sort of record for me. Thank you Amazon.com! Now, if only I could get around to sending last years cards. Also, for some reason I've actually started to think good thoughts about Christmas and have even considered buying a tree. WTF? It's as if I've entered some sort of domestication phase. Pretty soon I'll be working on a collection of Nutcrackers or snowmen. Creeeepy.
• I'm making plans to learn how to snowboard this winter (or at least learn to fail miserably at snowboarding) and am starting to think about plans for NYE.
And that's about all that's fit to print. I want to spend some of the Christmas "break" working on the kitchen or on eCards but mostly I plan to relax, which means I will probably be a lump for the next few weeks. But, I've got X's sweet, blind, deaf and incontinent dog for the next few weeks so that'll keep me on my toes. Did I mention that the poor beast has only three teeth left? Poor thing can't even keep his tongue in his mouth... You should see the aftermath of dinner time. Good times.
• I've settled into my job and started making friends at work. It's not the ideal personality fit for me and sometime I want to shake my boss like an infant, but it doesn't make my cry. Usually.
• I had a wonderful trip home to Tucson and reconnected with some great friends. It's incredible when you get together with someone after 8 years and it's as if you were never apart. Tucson is also an incredibly small town disguised by a decent sized population. Everyone is connected somehow and I had a lot of small world moments... some of them more surreal than others.
• I made it through the first term of school. I still have a few non-grey hairs and I've lucked into a few great friends. In fact, I actually enjoyed it so much that I've toyed with the possibility of taking three classes next term. But that's really just insane.
• I had a little health scare - found a lump in my breast which resulted in my first mammogram and an ultrasound. I'm fine, nothing to worry about, but having your boob squished between two sheets of plexiglass certainly isn't what I'd call fun. Ladies ( and lady's men!) - be sure to Feel Your Boobies. It's important.
• I seem to have moved from casual dating to having a boyfriend, which is new for me and totally cool. Sadly, my past relationships have left me with a constant self-doubt that I'll do something to mess it up or that he'll turn out to be a louse. But I'm working on that and learning that nice guys really do exist.
• I went to Best Buy with the intention of picking up some gifts and instead bought a flat panel TV. Yeah, good use of money for a grad student with a crappy paying job, huh? But it really does make the living room seem about 45 times bigger, and I got a good deal. Really, I did! (P.S. Please don't stop sending money Daddy, I promise it's not all going to electronics - that's what credit is for!)
• I got nearly all my Christmas shopping done with nearly 2 weeks to spare - some sort of record for me. Thank you Amazon.com! Now, if only I could get around to sending last years cards. Also, for some reason I've actually started to think good thoughts about Christmas and have even considered buying a tree. WTF? It's as if I've entered some sort of domestication phase. Pretty soon I'll be working on a collection of Nutcrackers or snowmen. Creeeepy.
• I'm making plans to learn how to snowboard this winter (or at least learn to fail miserably at snowboarding) and am starting to think about plans for NYE.
And that's about all that's fit to print. I want to spend some of the Christmas "break" working on the kitchen or on eCards but mostly I plan to relax, which means I will probably be a lump for the next few weeks. But, I've got X's sweet, blind, deaf and incontinent dog for the next few weeks so that'll keep me on my toes. Did I mention that the poor beast has only three teeth left? Poor thing can't even keep his tongue in his mouth... You should see the aftermath of dinner time. Good times.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
So little time
I keep meaning to post but then I get distracted. It's been a good week... here is a little recap, in case you've missed it:
• We completed our team project and received a perfect score on both the paper and the presentation
• I signed up for a two week trip to China. Two of my teammates have signed up as well so I already have friends
• I spent 8 hours catching up on my graphic design freelance projects and can *almost* breathe now
• I designed a 16 page booklet for work, manually printed 400 double sided copies and then had to throw it out due to poor printer quality. I'll be reprinting all day Tuesday but on a (hopefully) better machine
• My awesome mom bought me a plane ticket home so I can go to B's wedding and have Thanksgiving with the folks. I'm also looking forward to meeting little Paiger while I'm there and catching up with old friends
• My dad has been sending me little checks in the mail and I'm so incredibly thankful
• I've been on more than a few successful dates with a lovely man that is not an asshole, which is a totally new thing for me
• The girls and I went to see Disney's High School Musical on Ice, which was a complete disaster, but X let me wear her purple hat that almost made up for it (see below) and there was a yummy Crow Bar salmon plate involved too
• I had happy hour with Steddles, at the Crow Bar, again. I love that place!
• Snowpatrol release a new album and I just downloaded it - squeeeee.
• I'm going to see Matt Nathanson on Sunday so I downloaded that too - I don't want to be the only one that doesn't know the lyrics!
• I lost another 2.5 lbs this week bringing my total up to 30 lbs since June!
And that's about it... I am going to try harder to blog, I'm tired of ya'll pestering me. ;)
• We completed our team project and received a perfect score on both the paper and the presentation
• I signed up for a two week trip to China. Two of my teammates have signed up as well so I already have friends
• I spent 8 hours catching up on my graphic design freelance projects and can *almost* breathe now
• I designed a 16 page booklet for work, manually printed 400 double sided copies and then had to throw it out due to poor printer quality. I'll be reprinting all day Tuesday but on a (hopefully) better machine
• My awesome mom bought me a plane ticket home so I can go to B's wedding and have Thanksgiving with the folks. I'm also looking forward to meeting little Paiger while I'm there and catching up with old friends
• My dad has been sending me little checks in the mail and I'm so incredibly thankful
• I've been on more than a few successful dates with a lovely man that is not an asshole, which is a totally new thing for me
• The girls and I went to see Disney's High School Musical on Ice, which was a complete disaster, but X let me wear her purple hat that almost made up for it (see below) and there was a yummy Crow Bar salmon plate involved too
• I had happy hour with Steddles, at the Crow Bar, again. I love that place!
• Snowpatrol release a new album and I just downloaded it - squeeeee.
• I'm going to see Matt Nathanson on Sunday so I downloaded that too - I don't want to be the only one that doesn't know the lyrics!
• I lost another 2.5 lbs this week bringing my total up to 30 lbs since June!
And that's about it... I am going to try harder to blog, I'm tired of ya'll pestering me. ;)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Shhhh
So, for the last few months I've been working on an idea for an e-cards website. X and I dreamed it up over a bottle of wine and we just started playing around with it. Since then I've recruited my genius web friend to build the bones of the site and I've been planning to get it up and running. The only thing we need is some inventory, which is really just a matter of me sitting down to design the cards. The layout is simple but I decided to add these cute little illustrations and it's sucking up way more time than expected. Unfortunately, it's also been pushed to the back burned after work, school, and freelance (paying) work.
On Monday night I had a few minutes before class so I started throwing a card together. My classmate came in and sat beside me and couldn't help but comment on what I was doing how funny he thought it was. Last night it was brought up again by R, and he believes in it so much that he volunteered to promote the site when it goes live. I guess I need to get off my butt and prioritize this project because it seems to be a pretty hot commodity. Who knows, it could be the new someecards. Maybe I should just scrap the illustrations and go for simple? But I think that might not be as funny.
Other than that little dilemma, things are going well. My team got a perfect score on our presentation on Thursday and we went out to celebrate at Manzana. All of us are seriously considering going on a study trip to China next summer. It's a big cost but actually very affordable for what is included and would be an AMAZING opportunity. 14 days in China visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Hong Kong. Included in the proce is visiting 3 major places of business as well as trips to the Great Wall, a cruise on the Li river and viewing the Terra cotta Army. How cool would that be?
On Monday night I had a few minutes before class so I started throwing a card together. My classmate came in and sat beside me and couldn't help but comment on what I was doing how funny he thought it was. Last night it was brought up again by R, and he believes in it so much that he volunteered to promote the site when it goes live. I guess I need to get off my butt and prioritize this project because it seems to be a pretty hot commodity. Who knows, it could be the new someecards. Maybe I should just scrap the illustrations and go for simple? But I think that might not be as funny.
Other than that little dilemma, things are going well. My team got a perfect score on our presentation on Thursday and we went out to celebrate at Manzana. All of us are seriously considering going on a study trip to China next summer. It's a big cost but actually very affordable for what is included and would be an AMAZING opportunity. 14 days in China visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Hong Kong. Included in the proce is visiting 3 major places of business as well as trips to the Great Wall, a cruise on the Li river and viewing the Terra cotta Army. How cool would that be?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pub and Grub
I had a great weekend out at the coast. I drove out Friday night after work, which took me nearly 4 hours due to traffic, a dinner stop and getting lost. Damn you Google maps! Anyway, we headed to the only bar in town, The Sportsman Pub and Grub where we hung out with the local fisherman and drunks. Saturday morning C and I walked down the street for a leisurely breakfast and then we went to help out at the reception site. J & M went over at 8 am and had been working all morning - the place looked amazing!
The wedding was at 2 o'clock on the beach and the weather was unbelievably perfect. It must be a sign because I can't imagine them getting any luckier for an October beach wedding. Afterwards we went to the reception hall and I helped with the food prep and service. Apparently the cook backed out at the last minute so the girls and I jumped in and a few guys ran the grill. I don't think any of us sat down for about 3 hours. But it was fun and afterwards everyone got smashed on champagne. At closing time everyone rallied to tear down the decorations and we headed back to the Sportsman. Even the bride and groom were there it was fun.
Drove in this morning, grabbed the dog and have been a complete lump ever since. I'm going to regret it tomorrow when I have an hour to write my paper but oh well. I sat around watching Tv and movie and crying my eyes out. Just a bad case of the Sunday Blues combined with some hormonal issues. I feel much better now but should probably go get some chocolate, just in case. First I have to head over to S's house to work on our team presentation. Fudge, I'd rather stay here and snuggle with Beaner.
The wedding was at 2 o'clock on the beach and the weather was unbelievably perfect. It must be a sign because I can't imagine them getting any luckier for an October beach wedding. Afterwards we went to the reception hall and I helped with the food prep and service. Apparently the cook backed out at the last minute so the girls and I jumped in and a few guys ran the grill. I don't think any of us sat down for about 3 hours. But it was fun and afterwards everyone got smashed on champagne. At closing time everyone rallied to tear down the decorations and we headed back to the Sportsman. Even the bride and groom were there it was fun.
Drove in this morning, grabbed the dog and have been a complete lump ever since. I'm going to regret it tomorrow when I have an hour to write my paper but oh well. I sat around watching Tv and movie and crying my eyes out. Just a bad case of the Sunday Blues combined with some hormonal issues. I feel much better now but should probably go get some chocolate, just in case. First I have to head over to S's house to work on our team presentation. Fudge, I'd rather stay here and snuggle with Beaner.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Too Awake
I should be sleeping. But I made the unfortunate error of having caffeine tonight and am now jazzed. I haven't had much of the jittery stuff since I started the diet so now I'm losing my mind. All I had was a diet soda but man, I'm wired. I indulged because I figured I'd need it to stay up to pack and prepare for this weekend. My friend L is getting married Saturday, so, tomorrow after work, I'm heading to the coast for two nights. I'm very excited about getting out of town, but also nervous because:
A. It's a beach wedding. In October. In Oregon. I'm going to freeze my ass off.
B. I have a paper due on Monday that is less than 1/2 written
C. I will probably be the only one there without a date. I hate that.
D. Did I mention that I am going to freeze my ass off?
Anyway, a big group of people went in on a house that is in stumbling distance of the beach and the reception. It is bound to be a total blast! I'm taking my laptop so I can do a little work on Saturday morning before the ceremony. Then, I drive home on Sunday to hopefully have lunch with X and her visiting friend J with an H. Sunday night I have a meeting with my classmates to go over our powerpoint presentation for Thursday.
We had to write and present an executive summary on a case study. It's not as bad as it sounds. The article (about layoffs) was actually interesting and it's been one of the smoothest group projects I've been involved in. I'm not sure if it's just dumb luck or if things change in grad school, but I was dreading the team project based on past experience. But for once, I'm not completely stressed out and pissed because I'm doing extra work. Sweet!
Work is going better too. My boss is still a bit scattered and that's rough. I think he has just been doing the job so long that it's all in his head and downloading that to me is difficult... but it's coming along. Once I have a little more ownership of my projects it'll be smooth sailing. I spent most of today designing collateral, so that's not a bad deal.
To top a good week off, I got a check in the mail today from my dad - what an awesome surprise! It's amazing how blessings have a way of showing up right when you least expect them or when you need them. Thanks Daddy!
A. It's a beach wedding. In October. In Oregon. I'm going to freeze my ass off.
B. I have a paper due on Monday that is less than 1/2 written
C. I will probably be the only one there without a date. I hate that.
D. Did I mention that I am going to freeze my ass off?
Anyway, a big group of people went in on a house that is in stumbling distance of the beach and the reception. It is bound to be a total blast! I'm taking my laptop so I can do a little work on Saturday morning before the ceremony. Then, I drive home on Sunday to hopefully have lunch with X and her visiting friend J with an H. Sunday night I have a meeting with my classmates to go over our powerpoint presentation for Thursday.
We had to write and present an executive summary on a case study. It's not as bad as it sounds. The article (about layoffs) was actually interesting and it's been one of the smoothest group projects I've been involved in. I'm not sure if it's just dumb luck or if things change in grad school, but I was dreading the team project based on past experience. But for once, I'm not completely stressed out and pissed because I'm doing extra work. Sweet!
Work is going better too. My boss is still a bit scattered and that's rough. I think he has just been doing the job so long that it's all in his head and downloading that to me is difficult... but it's coming along. Once I have a little more ownership of my projects it'll be smooth sailing. I spent most of today designing collateral, so that's not a bad deal.
To top a good week off, I got a check in the mail today from my dad - what an awesome surprise! It's amazing how blessings have a way of showing up right when you least expect them or when you need them. Thanks Daddy!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Yeah
I had a fantastic interview this morning with a local technology company and I'm super excited and hopeful. I am going back tomorrow to meet with the woman who is currently doing the job and am potentially meeting with the President on Friday. It would mean taking a substantial pay-cut but there is also a substantial cut in overtime and a lot of room for growth. Yeah Me.
I've also decided to drop my third class and cut back to part-time. It's an on-line class and I just do better on-site. Plus, if I get this fabulous job I won't have as much time to devote. So, there that is. Today I've got to purchase a set of case studies and do a bunch more reading - but at least the topic is pretty interesting. Hopefully the sun will come out again so I can lounge in the backyard. It's a rough life.
I've also decided to drop my third class and cut back to part-time. It's an on-line class and I just do better on-site. Plus, if I get this fabulous job I won't have as much time to devote. So, there that is. Today I've got to purchase a set of case studies and do a bunch more reading - but at least the topic is pretty interesting. Hopefully the sun will come out again so I can lounge in the backyard. It's a rough life.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wheeee
I love school. Love it. I mean, my brain is already about to explode with all the reading and writing and team projects and presentations, but it's so much fun. Tonight I learned an interesting fact: at any given time, 31% of students are having a sexual thought. I will remember that forever because I was I checking out the hotty across the room when my instructor said it. Go figure.
And this video was one of our learning tools:
Awesome.
And this video was one of our learning tools:
Awesome.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wiped
It's been a long day and I'm looking forward to relaxing in front of the tube watching The Office and passing out. I spent a good portion of the day searching for cheaper textbooks on-line, talking to the career counselor about my resume and getting ready for class. I had a phone interview with a marketing firm at three and I'm not sure it's the best fit but I did get to speak to a man named Kermit, so that was cool.
My first class was great - I really like the instructor and there is a good mix of students - recent graduates, twenty-year veterans, mechanical engineers, writers, pharmaceutical reps and artists. I also really like that the class is capped at 20 so there is a nice intimate feel... a big change from my freshman year at ASU where they were capped at 200. I'm excited about school and looking forward to diving into my homework this weekend. We'll see how long that lasts!
My first class was great - I really like the instructor and there is a good mix of students - recent graduates, twenty-year veterans, mechanical engineers, writers, pharmaceutical reps and artists. I also really like that the class is capped at 20 so there is a nice intimate feel... a big change from my freshman year at ASU where they were capped at 200. I'm excited about school and looking forward to diving into my homework this weekend. We'll see how long that lasts!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Brrrr
Holy Crap it is cold today! I guess fall has crept in already, which makes me want to curl up with a book by the fire. I should at least change the filter on the heater because I think I'm going to have to crank that guy up real soon.
I'm officially 30 today and don't really feel any different. My left hip/groin region is stiff from the roller skating party on Saturday - they really should change directions more often. But I'm very impressed that not one of us old people fell or broke a bone. It was a great. And Miss White Trash was a good time as well, a few of the girls actually participated and afterwards we went over to Embers to watch the Drag shows. Lots of fun.
Not sure what is on the docket for today. I was thinking of grabbing a nice cup of coffee and going up to the dog park but it's been pouring down rain and is probably one big mud puddle. I need to return my financial aid paperwork and books - I had some seriously doubts when I saw the loan amounts on paper and got the estimate on books... e-ghads... but I really want to do this Maybe I'll take a nice leisurely drive down to campus and then go shopping with all the lovely gift cards I got this week! Whee Hee!
And then I gotta find me a job!
I'm officially 30 today and don't really feel any different. My left hip/groin region is stiff from the roller skating party on Saturday - they really should change directions more often. But I'm very impressed that not one of us old people fell or broke a bone. It was a great. And Miss White Trash was a good time as well, a few of the girls actually participated and afterwards we went over to Embers to watch the Drag shows. Lots of fun.
Not sure what is on the docket for today. I was thinking of grabbing a nice cup of coffee and going up to the dog park but it's been pouring down rain and is probably one big mud puddle. I need to return my financial aid paperwork and books - I had some seriously doubts when I saw the loan amounts on paper and got the estimate on books... e-ghads... but I really want to do this Maybe I'll take a nice leisurely drive down to campus and then go shopping with all the lovely gift cards I got this week! Whee Hee!
And then I gotta find me a job!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Indian Summer
It's getting warm and I couldn't be happier. It's amazing how productive I am on a nice sunny day... imagine what a rockstar I would be if I lived in California. Anyway, after a weekend full of fun events I'm in a great mood. I attended a pub crawl, a dinner party and took two trips to the movie theatre. Go see Burn After Reading if you haven't done so, it was great. Vicky Christina Barcelona did not impress near as much.
So far this week I've applied for six jobs and had a skills test with a local temp agency. Turns out my typing is great but my spelling not so much. Yesterday I had a weigh-in and lost another 1.5 lbs so I should hit the 20lb mark in the next week if I play my cards right. Afterwards I had a nice lunch at New Seasons with V and got some of the hot office gossip. I've managed to avoid turning on the TV at all during the days, which is good considering the insane addict-ability of HGTV. Thankfully I have free internet (yeah neighbors!) and a full iTunes library. I really don't need much else to live on.
Since I'm home all the time I've realized that I need to start setting weekly goals to keep on track. So, here is my plan for the week:
• Apply for a minimum of one job per day
• Download & print class syllabi, order books
• Attend lap swim or upgrade to jogging. I'm not built for speed so I'm leaning towards the pool although it requires putting a swimsuit. Tough call.
• P/U library books on writing business plans and .commerce
• Complete 20 e-cards & upload for my awesome web guy to play with
• Catch up on my design blogs
• Research uterus removal procedures - I'm tired of the damn cramps... there has to be something that can be done about this nonsense.
• Take Sabine to the dog park, it makes her so happy
• Turn 30!! I guess I'm officially an adult now. Yeah!
So far this week I've applied for six jobs and had a skills test with a local temp agency. Turns out my typing is great but my spelling not so much. Yesterday I had a weigh-in and lost another 1.5 lbs so I should hit the 20lb mark in the next week if I play my cards right. Afterwards I had a nice lunch at New Seasons with V and got some of the hot office gossip. I've managed to avoid turning on the TV at all during the days, which is good considering the insane addict-ability of HGTV. Thankfully I have free internet (yeah neighbors!) and a full iTunes library. I really don't need much else to live on.
Since I'm home all the time I've realized that I need to start setting weekly goals to keep on track. So, here is my plan for the week:
• Apply for a minimum of one job per day
• Download & print class syllabi, order books
• Attend lap swim or upgrade to jogging. I'm not built for speed so I'm leaning towards the pool although it requires putting a swimsuit. Tough call.
• P/U library books on writing business plans and .commerce
• Complete 20 e-cards & upload for my awesome web guy to play with
• Catch up on my design blogs
• Research uterus removal procedures - I'm tired of the damn cramps... there has to be something that can be done about this nonsense.
• Take Sabine to the dog park, it makes her so happy
• Turn 30!! I guess I'm officially an adult now. Yeah!
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